Luol Deng finished Britain’s first Olympic basketball victory since 1948 on the bench, a symbolic event with ramifications on both sides of the pond.

With the British 90-58 trouncing of China in its final game, Deng’s role as ambassador for basketball to his adopted country, the one that offered his family political asylum from Sudan, could be complete.

Now his preparations to start Bulls’ training camp on time begin in earnest.

In his strongest implication yet that he either will forego surgery on the torn ligament in his left wrist altogether or postpone it until after the 2012-13 season, Deng said he planned to start camp on time.

“Did I look like I needed (surgery)?” Deng said Monday evening. “I’m fine right now. I feel great. There are a lot of things I want to improve in my game that I want to focus on now. I want to be a better player than I was last year.

“I have time to make decisions and be healthy by the time we start (training camp).”

via K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune